Bio

Regarded as one of the top players to ever suit up for the Cowley College softball team, Haley Strawn will be inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, January 27.

Strawn began playing t-ball at five years old and, at the age of seven, made the switch to slow-pitch softball and started playing for Ray Bell and the OKC SOX. Eventually, after finishing runner-up a couple of times, her team won the world tournament.

“I ended up playing for two other teams, and I also ended up winning five more world titles,” Strawn said

Strawn went on to lead Southmoore High School to the Oklahoma State Softball Tournament in 2010 and was named to the Oklahoma All-State Softball Team.

Strawn came to Cowley on a recruiting visit after visiting another school in the conference.

That school was okay, and I liked it, but I was looking for something a little closer to home,” Strawn said. “When I came to visit Cowley, I loved the campus and how welcoming everyone was. Coach Ed (Hargrove) and Jenny (Hoyt) were nice coaches and made me feel like I was at home. I got promised I could be number 10, and I loved orange and black, so that sold the deal.”
As a freshman second baseman, Strawn helped Cowley to a record of 49-8 and a fourth-place finish at the NJCAA Division II National Softball Tournament in Clinton, MS. Strawn was a First-Team NJCAA All-American as she led Cowley in batting (.505), home runs (20), doubles (29), hits (107), runs scored (82), total bases (196) and slugging percentage (.925). She also recorded a .991 fielding percentage and went 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts while finishing second in runs batted in (69) despite batting in the leadoff spot.
As a sophomore shortstop at Cowley, Strawn was named a First-Team National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American and a Second-Team NJCAA All-American after leading the team in batting (.466), hits (97), runs scored (82), and tying for the team-lead in home runs (13).

Strawn’s stellar play helped the Lady Tiger softball team repeat as conference and region champions and a third-place finish at the national tournament. The third-place finish remains the highest finish ever at the national tournament for the softball team.

Strawn finished her Lady Tiger career as the school's all-time leader in hits in a season (107), hits in a career (204), runs scored in a season (82), runs scored in a career (164), most times at bat in a season (212), and most times at bat in a career (420).
“If Haley Strawn wasn’t the best position player I coached in my 30 years, she was in the top two,” Ed Hargrove said. “She made everything look easy, whether it was making a really tough play on defense or coming through with a clutch hit when the game was on the line. She was a quiet leader, leading by example. I knew I was going to get 100% effort from her every day at practice. She hated to lose, and she expected the same attitude from everybody. Haley was a winner, period.”

Strawn enjoyed the opportunity to play for Ed Hargrove, who was inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.

“He is one of my favorite coaches,” Strawn said. “He was such a fun and supportive coach. He was always there when you needed him and still is to this day. I wouldn’t be getting inducted into the Hall of Fame if it wasn’t for Ed. He’s always been a great supporter and an amazing person on and off the field.”
Cowley won 104 games during Strawn’s two seasons at the school.

“We had great team chemistry; we did a lot of team bonding that grew us closer,” Strawn said. “I think that’s what made us so good is just how well we played together, and the bond was so strong. Also, all of the support from the community was always great.”
After Cowley, Strawn transferred to play her final two seasons at NCAA Division II Southeastern Oklahoma State University. As a junior, Strawn was a First-Team All-Great American Conference selection and earned All-Tournament Team honors at the NCAA Division II National Finals. She batted .358 with 12 doubles, seven home runs and 39 RBIs. She recorded 18 multi-hit games and 11 multi-RBI games.

“My junior year, we had a great team and went further than any previous Southeastern team had gone, advancing to the NCAA Division II World Series in Virginia,” Strawn said. “Although we didn't win it all, we played well.”
As a senior at Southeastern, she led the team in batting (.432), hits (73), doubles (16), and home runs (6). She added 43 RBIs and five stolen bases as she helped the team finish 24-10 in the Great American Conference.

Strawn was named a First Team All-Conference selection for the second consecutive season and was voted Most Outstanding Senior for the Savage Storm. 
After her playing days, Strawn returned to Cowley College to serve as an assistant softball coach under Ed Hargrove. In her second and final season as an assistant with the Tigers, she helped Cowley capture the Jayhawk East title, Region VI District E Championship, and place fifth at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Clinton, MS.

“Being an assistant coach at Cowley was my favorite job that I have had,” Strawn said. “I enjoyed it so much and never felt like I had to work a day because it was being around the sport I loved and coaching for the best team in our conference. It was a fun experience, and I wish I would have never left. I loved giving back to the game and watching my athletes grow.”
Strawn currently works at the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) in Oklahoma and actively plays competitive softball (women’s and co-ed) along with coaching her nephew's t-ball team.

Being chosen for induction into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame is an honor Strawn does not take lightly.

“It truly is one of my biggest accomplishments to this day,” Strawn said. “All my hard work and time out on the field paid off. I’m so thankful to be going into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame. I want to thank Ed (Hargrove) and Jenny (Hoyt) for being such amazing coaches. Also, my family and former coaches for all the time and help they have given to me through all the years. I wouldn’t be going into the Hall of fame if it wasn’t for each and every one of them for helping me along the way.”